The Giorgio Armani Edition is the top-of-the-line all-electric Fiat 500e.Miranda Lightstone/The Globe and Mail
The 2025 Fiat 500e Giorgio Armani Edition is undeniably stylish. It has personality coming out of its fenders.
But after spending a week with it in the grey slush of a Quebec winter, I couldn’t help but feel like someone trying to hike a mountain in stilettos: it looks fabulous, but it’s painfully impractical.
Let’s address the elephant in the boutique: this car costs $42,190 (before provincial rebates and before taxes) for the regular edition. Want the branded Giorgio Armani edition and that adds $6,000. For a subcompact city car.
For close to $50,000, you get to motor around in an Armani-branded Fiat. You get exclusive paint (mine was a brooding grey-beige), wheels that cleverly incorporate the “GA” logo, and an interior with the same GA logo on the headrests. The dashboard is made entirely of audio speakers with a tailored design in a fabric covering that feels nicer than most of the furniture in my house. It is an objet d’art.
The wheels incorporate the “GA” logo.Stellantis/Courtesy of manufacturer
The GA logo is on the headrests.Courtesy of manufacturer
But here is the thing about art: it doesn’t have to deal with the Trans-Canada Highway in the winter.
I will give credit where it’s due: in its natural habitat, the 500e is a blast. I spent half my week bopping around the West Island and downtown Montreal, and this is where the car makes sense.
With 117 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque, it’s not winning any drag races, but it has that zippy, instant-torque scoot that makes electric vehicles fun between stoplights. It’s plucky. It fits into parking spots that larger SUVs would have to grease their mirrors to attempt. If your life is a 15-kilometre loop of yoga studios, espresso bars and the occasional grocery run, the 500e is a joyous little companion.
However, the moment I merged onto the highway, the romance faded.
Stellantis claims a range of 227 kilometres from the 42 kilowatt-hour battery. In the real world – specifically, a cold Canadian real world – that number drops faster than my patience in a school drop-off line. By the end of the week, my full battery charge was closer to the 200-kilometre mark, especially after being parked outside in sub-zero temperatures.
Driving at highway speeds, I could practically watch the battery percentage melt away. I found myself doing mental-math gymnastics constantly. Can I make it to my parents’ farm and back without stopping? Do I need to turn down the heat to save 4 per cent?
To be fair, it charges decently fast (up to 85 kilowatts on a DC fast charger), getting you to 80 per cent in about 35 minutes. But if you don’t have a charger at home or you drive a lot during the day, do you really want to spend your winter evenings sitting at a charging station because your fancy Italian car got cold feet?
The inside feels a bit form over function with too-small buttons on the touchscreen and little to no interior storage anywhere.Courtesy of manufacturer
Inside, the Armani vibe clashes with some Stellantis realities. The cabin is pretty, but there are quirks that drove me up the wall. The electronic push-button door releases are cool until they freeze shut from the outside. Thankfully, there is a manual release lower in the door, but then why add the frivolous fancy button to begin with?
The cupholder (because there really is only one) seems like an afterthought, floating off the middle armrest on the floor at an inconvenient level. And while the 10.25-inch screen is crisp, it all feels a bit form over function with too-small buttons on the touchscreen and little to no interior storage anywhere. And the backseats are really only usable by small children or luggage.
It reminds me of those high-fashion shoes that look incredible but pinch your toes after 20 minutes. You tolerate them for the look, but you aren’t happy about it.
But here is the heartbreaking part for Fiat: I can’t recommend this car because the 2025 Mini Cooper SE exists. If you want a car with personality, heritage and fun driving dynamics, the new electric Mini eats the Fiat’s lunch.
Consider these numbers: The Mini has 215 horsepower. That is nearly double the Fiat. It feels like a proper go-kart. The Mini also has an estimated range of 350 to 400 kilometres, which is the difference between range anxiety and peace of mind. And while it is no longer available brand new, a used unit can be sourced in the $30,000 range for a recent two-to-three-year-old model.
The Fiat is cute, but the Mini is a better car. It drives better, goes farther, and costs less.
In its defence, the 2025 Fiat 500e Armani is a charming, fashionable little thing. It has character in spades and Lord knows we need more character on the roads.
But the 500e is like a delicious appetizer when you’re starving for a main course. It leaves you wanting more – more range, more power and more value.
If you absolutely must have the most stylish small car in the valet line, get the Fiat. For everyone else? Go test drive the Mini.
The dash has the Armani signature.Courtesy of manufacturer
Tech Specs
2025 Fiat 500e Giorgio Armani Edition
- Price as tested: $48,885 (includes destination charges of $2,195 and other fees)
- Motor / battery: Electric motor / 42 kilowatt-hour
- Transmission / drive: FR offset 1-speed gearbox / front-wheel drive
- Horsepower / Torque (lb-ft): 117 / 162
- Range: 227 kilometres (claimed), 200 (observed)
- Energy consumption: 2.4 litres equivalent per 100 kilometre
- Curb weight: 1,339 kilograms
- Alternatives: Mini Cooper SE, Nissan Leaf
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